Sony is trying to give its PlayStation Vita handheld a shot in the arm with a new Slim version. The fresh, slender games machine is already out in Japan, but is making its way to the UK on February 7.

Available to preorder now, the PS Vita Slim is, as the name suggests, smaller than its forebear. That's not where the changes stop, however, as Sony has swapped out the Vita's OLED screen for an LCD panel. It will be interesting to see how that changes image quality, so stay tuned for a side-by-side comparison in our full review.

Sony says the Vita Slim is 20 percent slimmer and 15 percent lighter than the previous version. It's going to be slightly cheaper than the original Vita was when it launched -- Sony says it expects the Slim model to sell at about 180 pounds (around $300).

In Japan, the Slim is available in a range of colors, but Sony tells me that in the UK it will only be sold in black.

A roomier 1GB of internal storage is on board, as is a Micro-USB charging port, which thankfully replaces Sony's proprietary option. Better battery life is also promised -- up to six hours of gameplay, to be specific.

Sony showed off the Vita Slim at an event in London, but remained cagey when asked about plans for a US release.

Sony's handheld hasn't fared especially well thus far, so it will be interesting to see whether the Slim edition can turn things around.